Visualizing the power of wisdom : Mañjuvajra Mandala, an eleventh century Pāla period sculpture from Bengal

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dc.contributor.advisorLeoshko, Janice
dc.creatorLangberg, Hillary Anneen
dc.date.accessioned2013-11-22T22:27:21Zen
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-11T22:38:44Z
dc.date.available2017-05-11T22:38:44Z
dc.date.issued2013-05en
dc.date.submittedMay 2013en
dc.date.updated2013-11-22T22:27:21Zen
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractAmong the extant examples of carved-stone deity mūrtis from Pāla-period Bengal, few express their subject matter in such dynamic and aesthetically refined visual terms as a sculpture now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Entitled Mañjuvajra Mandala, the stele depicts a three-faced six-armed form of the bodhisattva of wisdom, Mañjuśrī. It dates from the latest phase of Vajrayāna Buddhism in India and likely reflects sādhana practices that entail mandala visualization rituals and union with a female consort. Although a superbly carved piece and an unusual form, it has not yet been fully studied. Surviving relevant texts locate Mañjuvajra primarily within a mandala diagram as the focus of sādhana visualization rituals. The purpose of this thesis is to explore aspects of the sculpture's execution that add to its meaning and, in turn, provide an enriched understanding of Vajrayāna practice. The innovative composition and metonymic forms of this Mañjuvajra sculpture demonstrate the congruency of religious content and artistic depiction in a powerful and multivalent manner.en
dc.description.departmentArt Historyen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/22427en
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.subjectMañjuśrīen
dc.subjectMañjuvajraen
dc.subjectMandalaen
dc.subjectPālaen
dc.subjectPrajñāen
dc.subjectBuddhismen
dc.subjectBengalen
dc.subjectSculptureen
dc.subjectArten
dc.titleVisualizing the power of wisdom : Mañjuvajra Mandala, an eleventh century Pāla period sculpture from Bengalen

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